The Arkansas Center for the Book at the Arkansas State Library is pleased to share our Great Reads selection for Youth: Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021).
In this much-anticipated series opener, fate binds two Black teenagers together as they strike a dangerous alliance to hunt down the ancient creature menacing their home—and discover much more than they bargained for.
Ayana Gray moved to Arkansas when she was thirteen, attending school in the Little Rock area. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and now lives in Arkansas.
Greats Reads from Great Places: Central II Region (Books for Teens and Middle Schoolers)
Every year, as part of the participation in the National Book Festival, the affiliated Centers for the Book of the Library of Congress select a book with a local connection to represent our states. This is part of the Great Reads from Great Places initiative, and you can learn more at the Library of Congress.
Great Reads from Great Places: Hear the Authors Discuss Their Work. Central II (Books for Teens)
Introduction by Michael Pearce, director of the Alabama Center for the Book, and featuring Charles Waters and Irene Latham, author of African Town (chosen by Alabama Center for the Book); Ayana Gray, author of Beasts of Prey (chosen by Arkansas Center for the Book); Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Tell It (chosen by Mississippi Center for the Book); and Julia Watts, author of Needlework (chosen by Tennessee Center for the Book). The featured authors discuss their books, the states that selected them, and how “Books Bring Us Together.” Running time: 34 minutes 38 seconds.
